Brands & technologies · Recycled-yarn program

SEAQUAL® YARN

Q: Is SEAQUAL made from ocean plastic?

Partly. The initiative says SEAQUAL YARN is 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, of which about 10% is marine plastic and about 90% is other post-consumer PET such as bottles. A garment made partly of the yarn contains less still.

Recycled-yarn program · understand the name behind the label.

Reviewed 2026-09-22. Evidence level: verified. Open the interactive profile.

Key figures

Program: SEAQUAL INITIATIVE (founded 2016, Spain)
Generic fiber: Polyester (recycled PET)
Yarn composition (producer): 100% post-consumer recycled PET, about 10% of it marine plastic
Named yarn makers: ANTEX (Spain) and VICA (Mexico)

Approximate values under the stated conditions.

Overview

A yarn program associated with recovered marine plastic. Check the exact composition and marine-derived share of the specified yarn.

Feel and behavior

Depends on the specified fiber grade, yarn and fabric construction.

Where you find it

See the linked underlying material and the producer’s product-specific documentation.

Source and geography

SEAQUAL is the brand of the SEAQUAL INITIATIVE, a Spanish-origin program set up in 2016 by the Ecoalf foundation, the textile group Santanderina and the spinning company Antex. The underlying generic fiber is recycled polyester (PET). According to the initiative, SEAQUAL YARN is 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, of which roughly 10% is SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC recovered from marine litter and roughly 90% comes from other post-consumer PET such as bottles. The initiative names ANTEX (Spain) and VICA (Mexico) as its yarn manufacturing partners.

Advantages

It creates a paid outlet for marine litter that fishing crews and clean-ups bring ashore, supporting collection.
The yarn is 100% post-consumer recycled PET, so it avoids virgin polymer entirely, according to the initiative.
A tracer and a public licensee list make claims easier to check than generic 'ocean plastic' marketing.
Performance is that of standard polyester, so it fits existing fabric specifications.

Drawbacks

Only about 10% of the yarn is marine plastic; most is bottle-derived PET like other recycled polyester.
It sheds persistent microplastic fibers when washed, which is the opposite of an ocean benefit at the use stage.
Blended garments are difficult to recycle again.
The initiative's life-cycle savings are self-reported comparisons with virgin PET.

Worth knowing

SEAQUAL licensing is tiered, with licensees able to choose a license fee from zero up to 1,000 euros, according to the initiative's licensee portal.
A garment that is half SEAQUAL YARN contains only about 5% marine-derived plastic, because the yarn itself is about one tenth marine plastic.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

The SEAQUAL INITIATIVE sells several related materials. SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC is the traceable raw material, made from litter collected from oceans, rivers and beaches. SEAQUAL YARN is recycled polyester filament that the initiative describes as 100% post-consumer recycled PET, of which 10% is SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC and 90% is land-sourced recycled PET such as bottles. SEAQUAL FIBER is the staple-fiber counterpart for spun yarns, nonwovens and fill. Licensed partners also make fabrics and finished products under the program. The practical differences between forms are filament versus staple and the documented marine share, not the polymer, which is ordinary PET.

Fabrics and products

According to the initiative's brand listings, SEAQUAL materials are used across apparel, footwear, accessories and home textiles, with swimwear, sportswear and casual knits prominent. Staple fiber suits spun yarns, fill and nonwovens. Filament yarns are knitted into jersey and tricot or woven into light shell fabrics. As with other recycled polyester, much of the finished product may be blended with elastane, cotton or virgin fibers, which lowers the program content of the item.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Check the product label for polyester and for a stated percentage of SEAQUAL content; the program is a licensing community, so licensed companies are listed on the initiative's website and can be looked up. The initiative states that its yarn contains a tracer that links material to collection projects, so a brand can ask for verification. Remember the arithmetic: a garment that is 50% SEAQUAL YARN contains about 5% marine plastic. Fabric quality is judged as for any polyester: dense construction, good recovery, even dyeing and low pilling. 'Ocean plastic' wording without percentages is a red flag.

Care in detail

Treat SEAQUAL products as polyester. Wash at 30 C where possible, inside out, with similar colors, in a full but not packed machine; a microfiber-catching bag or filter reduces shedding. Use liquid detergent and skip fabric softener on performance knits. Line dry or tumble on low heat, because polyester is thermoplastic and elastane blends degrade with heat. Iron on a low to medium setting (about 110 to 150 C) if needed, avoiding prints. Pretreat oily stains quickly, since polyester holds oils. Remove pills with a fabric shaver rather than pulling them. Store away from direct sunlight to limit fading.

Care at a glance

Follow the finished product’s care label. A trademark does not specify the care needs of every blend or construction.

Environmental and social footprint

The initiative reports that producing SEAQUAL YARN cuts CO2 emissions by about 37%, water use by about 34% and electricity by about 40% compared with virgin PET; these are producer figures whose study year and functional unit should be requested. The marine share is small, so the environmental case rests mainly on recycled PET in general plus the social value of funded litter collection. Independent research raises a use-phase issue: a 2024 study in Environmental Pollution (Akyildiz and colleagues) found that a recycled polyester fabric released more microplastic fibers than virgin polyester under identical 40 C washing (about 1,193 versus 908 counted fibers). Any 'ocean' claim should therefore be read alongside the product's own microfiber shedding.

Tradeoffs

Producer claims apply to defined products and comparisons. This atlas does not independently certify performance, sourcing or environmental claims.

A useful question to ask: Which exact grade, composition and current producer documentation apply to this product?

Science

Data sheet

Property	Value	Conditions	Source
Post-consumer recycled PET	100 (about 10 marine plastic, about 90 other post-consumer PET) %	SEAQUAL YARN, producer data	[1]

Recovered material, retained chemistry

Recycled describes the feedstock history, not a new polymer family.

Structure and chemistry

The polymer is poly(ethylene terephthalate), a polyester of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid joined by ester bonds, identical in chemistry to other recycled or virgin PET. Marine-recovered plastic is mixed plastics when collected; only the PET fraction suitable for melt processing ends up in the polymer. Degradation from sun and seawater can lower molecular weight, which is one reason the marine share is a minority blended with land-sourced post-consumer PET. The initiative states that its yarn contains a tracer to link material to collection projects.

From source to yarn

As the initiative describes it, fishing crews and clean-up projects bring marine litter ashore, where it is sorted; PET is separated, cleaned and processed into flake and then into SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC, which is blended with other post-consumer PET. The blended polymer is melt-extruded into filament or staple fiber and spun into yarn by licensed partners, then sold to fabric makers and brands that join the initiative. The Ecoalf foundation's Upcycling the Oceans project was an early source of marine litter for the program.

Performance in use

Fabrics behave like any polyester of comparable yarn and construction: strength that is retained when wet, very low moisture regain, fast drying, dimensional stability after heat-setting, and dyeing with disperse dyes at high temperature. It melts rather than chars. The small marine-plastic share does not give different performance. The initiative's life-cycle comparisons (reported reductions in CO2, water and electricity against virgin polyester) are producer claims based on its own assessment boundaries.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only: PET melts, drips, burns with sooty smoke and leaves a hard bead. FTIR identifies polyester, but no routine test separates marine-derived PET from other recycled or virgin PET. Verification relies on the initiative's tracer, its partner licensing and documentation. Mislabeling risk lies in describing a SEAQUAL fabric as made from ocean plastic when the marine fraction is a minority of the yarn and the fabric may contain other fibers.

History

Timeline

2016The Ecoalf foundation, the textile group Santanderina and the spinner Antex set up the SEAQUAL INITIATIVE in Spain to turn marine litter landed by fishing boats into fiber. [2]

SEAQUAL connects collection and polymer processing with yarn partners. The program name does not describe the entire composition of every finished fabric.

The deeper record

The SEAQUAL INITIATIVE grew out of Spanish efforts, led by the Ecoalf foundation's Upcycling the Oceans project, to have fishing boats land the plastic waste caught in their nets rather than return it to the sea. In 2016 the foundation, Santanderina and Antex established SEAQUAL to turn that litter into fiber, announcing early sales of fiber made partly from seabed waste. The program later expanded into a membership community of yarn makers, fabric mills and brands, and added SEAQUAL MARINE PLASTIC as a separate traceable input.

Labeling and law

SEAQUAL is a program trademark, not a generic fiber name. US labels must state polyester under the TFPIA and 16 CFR Part 303, and EU labels polyester under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Claims such as 'made with marine plastic' must be truthful and substantiated with the actual marine and recycled shares for the specific product. Any recycled-content certification should be confirmed on the certificate for the yarn or fabric in question.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

Is SEAQUAL made from ocean plastic?

Partly. The initiative says SEAQUAL YARN is 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, of which about 10% is marine plastic and about 90% is other post-consumer PET such as bottles. A garment made partly of the yarn contains less still.

How do I know a SEAQUAL product is genuine?

Look for stated SEAQUAL content on the tag and check that the brand appears among the initiative's licensees. The initiative also says its yarn carries a tracer that links it to collection projects, which brands can use for verification.

Does buying SEAQUAL clean the ocean?

It helps fund and use litter brought ashore by fishing crews and clean-up projects, but the quantity per garment is small and the product still sheds microfibers when washed. It is a recycling and collection program, not an ocean remediation technology.

Sources

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). SEAQUAL® YARN. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/seaqual/